Jewellers and goldsmiths fabricate and repair jewellery such as rings, brooches, pendants and bracelets. They use fine precision tools to cut, saw, file and polish jewellery.manufacturing concerns, retail jewellers’ / goldsmiths’ and at repair shops. The environment is usually pleasant, hygienic and well equipped.
The jewellery manufacturing industry can be divided into two types of production:
Craftwork: Individual articles that are hand-made by skilled craftsmen
Mass production: Moulds and machines are used in order to produce a large number of articles in the shortest time possible.
Jewellers who work in jewellery stores and repair shops provide a variety of services to their customers. Much of their time is spent repairing jewellery and watches and doing hand engraving. Typical repair jobs include enlarging or reducing rings, resetting stones and replacing broken clasps and mountings.
Some jewellers also design jewellery to be made either by hand or mass-produced. They make moulds to cast jewellery and dies to stamp it. Other jewellery workers may do the finishing work such as setting stones and engraving. A small number are also qualified gemmologists, who identify, appraise, classify and discriminate between all kinds of gems, including diamonds.
Jewellers and goldsmiths shape the metal with hand tools or cast it in moulds, to their own designs or those created by designers. They then solder together individual parts to form the finished piece. They may cast designs in precious metal and mount diamonds or other stones on the piece.
Jewellers and goldsmiths use pliers, files, saws, hammers, torches, soldering irons and a variety of other hand tools. They also use chemicals and polishing compounds, such as jeweller’s rouge, for soldering or finishing.
Jewellers / goldsmiths work indoors at jewellery manufacturing concerns, retail jewellers / goldsmiths and at repair shops. The environment is usually pleasant, hygienic and well equipped.
Schooling & School Subjects
Compulsory Subjects: Art or a related subjects is highly recommended
Recommended subjects: Art, Design Studies, Engineering and Graphic Design
Additional:
Diploma: CUT, DUT, TUT, CPUT and UJ offer a course in Jewellery Manufacture and Design. This includes practical training as well as training in Gemmology (training in the identification, classification and discrimination amongst all kind of gems).
Certificate: Various TVET colleges offer programmes in Jewellery design.
There are four recognised learnerships:
The Gemmological Association of Great Britain:
www.gagtl.ac.uk/gagtl
The Gemologist Institute of America (GIA):
www.gia.org
Jewellery Council of South Africa
The Hamlet,
27 Ridge Road,
Parktown,
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